Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary

Q: Is Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary a good school?

Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary ranks 3182 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

3182^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary is a large, K-6 Dual Language Immersion magnet school in Lake Forest, CA, serving 896 students within the Saddleback Valley Unified district, but it performs below the district average and ranks in the 46th percentile statewide.

The school faces significant academic challenges, with proficiency rates in English, math, and science roughly 20 points below the district average. It underperforms compared to nearly all nearby schools, including La Madera Elementary, Valencia Elementary, and Del Cerro Elementary. A notable contrast is the nearby Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley, which achieves much higher scores. Ralph A. Gates serves a population with high economic need and has the highest student-teacher ratio among local district schools, which may impact individual attention.

Despite these challenges, the school has strengths, including a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate that is better than the district and state, and effective support for special education students. Its ranking decline over the past decade appears to have recently stabilized. The data suggests the school's specialized magnet program may not be fully translating into higher academic achievement, presenting an opportunity to examine instructional practices and resource use to better serve its community.

896

Students ?

28.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,157

Per pupil spending ?

65.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

23882 Landisview Ave.
Lake Forest, CA 92630-5152

(949) 837-2260

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.4%

White:

11.9%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 54th percentile in 2013 → 46th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (36% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2013

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg54%

California avg41%

3,182^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 19 pts since 2015

From top 35% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st of 22Elementary Schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified

377^th of 1,543Saddleback Valley Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.5	3182 of 5857	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.1	3171 of 5869	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	3390 of 5859	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	3374 of 5883	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.3	2800 of 5789	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.5	2411 of 5662	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.1	2215 of 5692	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.8	2000 of 5614	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.4	1971 of 5611	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	52.0	2565 of 5530	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.7	2004 of 5390	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	52.6	2445 of 5377	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	42.1	3051 of 5314	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	50.9	2435 of 5193	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	47.3	2522 of 5113	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	44.3	2656 of 5113	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.2	2989 of 4818	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	37.3	2870 of 4822	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	40.7	2608 of 4809	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	58.2	630 of 2227	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	35.5	1521 of 2585	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.9	716 of 2128	66.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	36.8	2045 of 3162	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	2033 of 3245	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.1	1047 of 3311	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.5	546 of 3275	83.3%	★★★★☆
2018	64.2	722 of 3246	77.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.5	3058 of 5597	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	2951 of 5612	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.0	2964 of 5609	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.0	3199 of 5635	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.1	2916 of 5492	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.1	2542 of 5413	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.9	3108 of 5107	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.1	3262 of 5107	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.1	3219 of 5087	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	3300 of 5084	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.3	2268 of 4963	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.3	1879 of 4830	61.1%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.8	292 of 429	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	268 of 364	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	246 of 335	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	276 of 356	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.8	4379 of 5460	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.1	3935 of 5517	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.0	4621 of 5363	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	4499 of 5264	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	3457 of 5173	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.3	2932 of 5084	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.4	3091 of 5628	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.0	3214 of 5643	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.7	3627 of 5638	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.2	3349 of 5663	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.8	2512 of 5510	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.0	2173 of 5431	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.2	118 of 153	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	100 of 118	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	120 of 140	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.6	1075 of 2847	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.8	832 of 2635	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.0	965 of 2420	60.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.3	771 of 2598	70.3%	★★★★☆
2024	73.4	689 of 2651	74.0%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	1018 of 2661	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.7	964 of 2726	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.7	908 of 2834	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.1	481 of 2737	82.4%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2022)72nd percentile+29 vs school

White (2025)70th percentile+25 vs school

Special Education (2025)62nd percentile+17 vs school

Female (2025)45th percentile~ school

Male (2025)45th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)39th percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)35th percentile-11 vs school

Homeless (2025)32nd percentile-14 vs school

Military Connected (2025)23rd percentile-23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy36%-13 vs state

Mathematics36%~ state avg

Science33%~ state avg

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary	Public	K-6	23882 Landisview Ave.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 837-2260	896	31	28.5	65.2%	107 (11.9%)	5 (0.6%)	729 (81.4%)	18 (2.0%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	33 (3.7%)	40.5	3182^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	45.7%		40.1	3171^st of 5869 public elementary schools	46.0%	11	33.1	33.1	31.6	28.5	45.2	39.8	36.2	38.2	35.2	34.7	36.3	36.1	98.0						$14,157	$13,032	$1,125
Olivewood Elementary	Public	K-6	23391 Dune Mear Rd.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 837-6682	396	18	21.8	85.9%	18 (4.5%)	3 (0.8%)	339 (85.6%)	25 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	8 (2.0%)	28.9	4056^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.7%		30.3	3900^th of 5869 public elementary schools	33.5%	156	32.1	32.1	35.3	22.9	46.2	25.5	32.7	33.3	18.0	30.2	10.9	23.1							$17,521	$16,214	$1,307
Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley	Public, Charter	K-5	22882 Loumont Dr.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 540-7800	565	20	28.7	16.1%	166 (29.4%)	7 (1.2%)	98 (17.3%)	222 (39.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (12.7%)	95.9	246^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.8%		96.7	197^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.6%	49	81.1	81.1	73.9	79.6	83.2		79.0	73.9	83.9	77.9		78.6	96.7			96.7
Del Cerro Elementary	Public	K-6	24382 Regina St.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-5430	390	19	20.1	53.1%	139 (35.6%)	2 (0.5%)	147 (37.7%)	54 (13.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	46 (11.8%)	83.2	1005^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.8%		81.7	1081^st of 5869 public elementary schools	81.6%	76	54.4	54.4	50.0	64.3	62.2	74.4	62.9	62.5	69.1	56.5	62.8	62.6	91.7	93.8		93.8	91.7	93.8	$14,215	$13,286	$929
Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary	Public	K-6	24982 Rivendell Dr.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-2820	517	20	26.2	42.6%	167 (32.3%)	5 (1.0%)	208 (40.2%)	51 (9.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	84 (16.2%)	71.4	1540^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.7%		72.8	1457^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.2%	83	50.0	50.0	52.3	58.6	56.7	68.8	59.1	49.4	55.7	50.0	39.2	48.3	97.2	97.2	97.2		97.2		$14,465	$13,536	$929
Lomarena Elementary	Public	K-6	25100 Earhart Rd.	Laguna Hills	92653	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 581-1370	487	22	22.3	69.0%	114 (23.4%)	3 (0.6%)	286 (58.7%)	39 (8.0%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.2%)	38 (7.8%)	55.6	2265^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.3%		62.6	1953^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	66.7%	312	32.5	32.5	42.4	54.4	50.0	47.8	48.8	48.5	49.3	36.4	35.2	42.2							$16,209	$15,084	$1,125
La Madera Elementary	Public	K-6	25350 Serrano Rd.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 770-1415	554	23	24.4	37.4%	209 (37.7%)	2 (0.4%)	184 (33.2%)	86 (15.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	72 (13.0%)	80.8	1122^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	80.8%		81	1114^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.0%	8	50.5	50.5	54.7	59.1	62.9	67.0	61.5	65.6	57.0	54.6	60.8	59.0							$14,431	$13,502	$929
Montevideo Elementary	Public	K-6	24071 Carrillo Dr.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-8050	444	22	20.2	45.7%	185 (41.7%)	5 (1.1%)	149 (33.6%)	56 (12.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (10.8%)	74.8	1381^st of 5857 public elementary schools	76.4%		75.1	1363^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	76.8%	18	42.6	42.6	43.4	55.6	51.9	62.5	53.9	60.4	69.8	53.7	60.9	61.5							$15,690	$14,764	$926
Valencia Elementary	Public	K-6	25661 Paseo de Valencia	Laguna Hills	92653	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-3650	525	19	27.1	24.2%	293 (55.8%)	6 (1.1%)	89 (17.0%)	61 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (14.5%)	88.3	758^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.1%		90.9	640^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.1%	118	53.3	53.3	74.3	72.3	67.8	86.5	74.9	79.7	63.6	46.7	72.0	64.6	95.8			97.2	97.2	97.2	$15,716	$14,790	$926
Glen Yermo Elementary	Public	K-6	26400 Trabuco Rd.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-6766	308	19	16.4	67.2%	84 (27.3%)	1 (0.3%)	168 (54.5%)	29 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (7.8%)	53.1	2423^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	58.6%		59.6	2087^th of 5869 public elementary schools	64.4%	336	22.6	22.6	36.7	47.1	45.2	56.7	46.4	43.3	55.9	25.8	53.3	44.8	96.8	96.8		96.8			$17,653	$16,486	$1,167

Frequently Asked Questions about Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary

How many students attend Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 896 students attended Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary.

Is Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary a good school?

Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary ranks 3182^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary?

Students at Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary are 81% Hispanic, 12% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

Rate Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Lake Forest, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.